Over to you, Mitt...

By Maggie Haberman

05/09/12 03:19 PM EDT

As I wrote earlier, there will be a major focus now on Mitt Romney's response to President Obama's statement of personal support for gay marriage.

His position on civil unions, as it stands now, puts him to the right of much of his party. This is, ultimately, not an issue that Romney wants to focus extensively on - and how Republicans respond will be significant. There are also quotes from Romney's 1994 U.S. Senate race against Ted Kennedy, in which he said he was for "full equality" for gays and lesbians, which Democrats will press to suggest he has moved in the reverse direction from Obama.

But Romney is also now in a position of needing to solidify his own base, and his full-throated response earlier was clear. Romney is on record signing a conservative pledge to create a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

There were and are clear political risks for Obama in doing what he did. But his brand was getting so dinged by the expedient play that it was transcending the specific issue - and there are also risks for Romney in focusing on it too much.